Modification of Polymer Substrates with Extreme Ultraviolet - Potential Application in Cancer Cell Identification

During the last two decades, the development of laboratory scale extreme ultraviolet sources has been intensified due to growing interest in use of extreme ultraviolet photons for various applications in science and technology. In this study, we present a potential application of extreme ultraviolet sources for surface modification of polymers to be used as substrates for cancer cell identification. The surface modification of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) polymer samples was performed by a lab scale compact laser-plasma extreme ultraviolet source based on a double-stream gas-puff target. The gas target was irradiated with a 3 ns/0.8 J Nd:YAG laser pulse at 10 Hz. Reference HCV29 non-malignant transitional epithelium and T24 bladder cancer cells adhesion and proliferation studies on pure and extreme ultraviolet sources modified PTFE surfaces were performed. The extreme ultraviolet modified surfaces demonstrated regular increase in cancer cell proliferation comparing to pristine sample. Initial results indicate that extreme ultraviolet treated substrates can facilitate the identification of cancer cells.